Interviews
André Øvredal on Stella’s Awesome Horror Collection in ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ [Interview]
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark isn’t just a scary story, it’s a scary story about people who love scary stories. Specifically, it’s about Stella, a teenaged writer played by Zoe Margaret Colletti, who is a voracious horror fan and – as we see throughout the film – has a bedroom covered in horror posters and memorabilia.
It’s a set that was very important to director André Øvredal, who was trying to keep the film – which takes place in Pennsylvania in 1968 – historically accurate. And that meant that Stella’s room couldn’t just have the same old posters everyone recognizes today.
“We wanted to choose relatively obscure titles because we wanted to show that it was not just the classic titles, the big titles that everybody knows about,” Øvredal told me. “So that we show that in that world, in that time, it was the movies that existed then. Not necessarily just the classics. So we had some obscure [ones]. As a horror fan, you would know them but a general audience will kind of smile when they see all these crazy images.”
“We had a lot of fun figuring out which posters we liked. And it came down to, at the time, that I chose what it should be in relation to her character: a balance of horror and sci-fi, and she was leaning towards horror but it’s always kind of a thing,” Øvredal adds. “There is always a connection.”
To be sure, Stella has some odd choices in her collection. We caught poster for The Indestructible Man on her wall somewhere, and that’s a pretty deep cut. (The film is probably best known today as an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.)
How many weird movies and period-accurate horror paraphernalia did YOU see in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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